Hyattsville’s Shortcake Bakery closed its doors Thursday evening after 13 years in business.

Located at 4700 Rhode Island Ave. since 2011, the bakery saw more than 200 people show up for its last day in operation, owner Cheryl Harrington told the Hyattsville Wire.

“It was overwhelming, but in a good way,” she said.

Harrington had been in talks with her landlord, Stuart Eisenberg, for several months about possibly selling the bakery to someone else and transferring the lease, either for a long-term lease or a short-term extension.

Eisenberg told the Wire that he was ultimately unable to make that work due to his own business needs, and with her health department license ending on Oct. 31, he agreed to release her from the lease with no penalty or further expense on that date.

He said it was Harrington’s decision to shut down. “Her decision to do so was completely independent of my future plans for the building,” he added.

Harrington told the Wire she is still talking with neighboring Maryland Meadworks about whether to continue with their Sunday brunches, which began during the pandemic. But she said for now she’s looking forward to spending time with family and she’s unsure if she would want to reopen in a new location.

This post was updated on Nov. 1, 2024, to also include Eisenberg’s comments.

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